Amanda Brown/The Star-LedgerNew Jersey's new Education Commissioner Bret Schundler listens as Gov. Chris Christie made his first budget address to a joint session of the New Jersey Legislature.Sparing the rich

Despite Gov. Chris Christie’s somewhat mangled metaphor of gathering in the living room and preparing to jump off a cliff, we get it ("New Jersey’s day of reckoning," March 17). We understand that everyone in New Jersey must join in the effort to restore New Jersey’s financial health. We understand that all of us — seniors, persons with disabilities, people in the arts, teachers, union members, state workers and so on — all of us are required to sacrifice during the current crisis.

Well, not quite all of us. Two percent of New Jersey citizens, those making over $400,000 a year, are not invited to participate in this grand adventure. This we do not understand.

Let’s ALL gather in the living room and jump.

Flora T. Higgins, Colts Neck

Christie didn’t cut the tax

Your editorial "Share the sacrifice" (March 17) claims that Gov. Chris Christie’s refusal to reinstate the one year income tax surcharge on the wealthy is a tax cut because these people are paying less this year than last year. You emphasize that "we call that a tax cut."

Like Alice in Wonderland, you use the argument that, "It means just what I choose it to mean."

In the real world, A4102, signed into law by Gov. Jon Corzine, applied to "taxable years beginning on or after January 1, 2009 but before January 1, 2010." Knowing that the bill was going to expire in December, Corzine and the Democratic-controlled Legislature chose not to renew it.

Argue if you must that Christie should raise taxes on the wealthy again this year, either temporarily or permanently, but do not argue that he has given anyone a tax cut. Corzine and the Democrats did it through their inaction.

Michael Pickert, Livingston

Robbing the poor

Gov. Chris Christie is Robin Hood in reverse. He is robbing the poor to give to the rich. And in the process he denigrates the contributions made by our public school teachers, our police and firefighters.

Christie is a wealthy man, living in one of the wealthiest towns in one of the wealthiest counties in New Jersey. His children go to private schools, and he who seems to be living safely in his "green zone" where he can’t see how the other 98 percent of New Jersey lives. Gov. Jon Corzine, also a wealthy man, did not wear blinders and truly cared for the lives of the average citizen of New Jersey.

Sharon Resnick, Princeton

Things can change

Gov. Chris Christie’s proposals to balance the state budget for fiscal 2010-2011 are basically his wish list of how he plans to accomplish a difficult task. This could be compared to a seller putting his house up for sale at an optimal price and having to negotiate it to a lower amount in order to successfully consummate the transaction.

In this particular scenario, Christie is the seller (budget proposal) and the state Legislature is the buyer.

There are three-and-a-half months before the transaction (signing of a balanced budget) must be finalized. For the sake of all the citizens of New Jersey, I sincerely hope Christie and the Legislature will reach an amicable agreement by June 30.

David M. Levin, Vineland

Money corrupts

Peter McDonough Jr., my Pennington neighbor, defended the U.S. Supreme Court’s Citizens United decision which opens the floodgates for corporate and union money to be spent on political campaigns ("Jersey proves corporate cash doesn’t poison politics," March 12). As he correctly points out, this decision still allows state and federal laws to prohibit direct contributions from corporations and unions to candidates and political parties.

Curiously, McDonough uses the argument that, in New Jersey, corporations and unions have always been allowed to make direct contributions to political campaigns with no unfavorable results — ergo, the court’s decision will not be harmful.

When did McDonough leave Pennington for another planet? Most observers conclude that the abuses and excesses of political money are the major cause of corruption in the Garden State, both criminal and noncriminal. Much of this money comes in direct donations from businesses and labor.

Interestingly, more than 40 states and the federal government prohibit direct corporate and union contributions. The Election Law Enforcement Commission recommended this reform for our state over 20 years ago.

The McDonough story headline reads: "Jersey proves corporate cash doesn’t poison politics." This assertion just does not square with the facts.

Former state senator Bill Schluter, Pennington

Backwards thinking

In an opinion piece headlined "Employee cuts are suicide for New Jersey" (March 16), Les Leopold writes, "Unemployed public sector workers pay no taxes, which increases the tax burden on those with jobs."

This guy is an executive director with two institutes?

Since public sector wages are an expense and do not create saleable goods or services, and are paid solely with the taxes on private sector wages, how exactly is the private sector hurt by not having to pay the take-home portions of public sector employees salaries?

With this kind of thinking, Leopold has a great career ahead of him in politics. C’mon people, let’s try to have some semblance of competence and professionalism.

John Tauscher, Hillsborough

Peace foremost

Those of us who truly care about Israel know that President Obama is right to confront Israel over its approval of a new settlement construction plan in East Jerusalem. Settlement expansion undermines the prospects of peace. And Israel’s future is dependent on reaching a two-state solution.

Americans are smart. We know that peace for Israel is more important than the expansion of settlements. We also know that our interests are directly tied to Middle East peace and to Israel.

Peace talks will not succeed without genuine, sustained American leadership. All sides must know that there will be a price to pay for frustrating peace efforts. Obama enjoys my support when he demonstrates such leadership.

Dayle Saad, Long Branch

Transit hikes don’t help

Where I grew up, mass transit meant buses and subways running around the clock, with no waits longer than 20 minutes, even in the wee small hours. Civics classes taught me that mass transit is not a profit center. Its existence benefits all, but commerce benefits the most. It is poor public policy to raise mass transit’s cost while cutting service in a depressed economy. The recession has driven many erstwhile motorists onto mass transit. Raising its costs burdens these people even more.